Idea Factory: a Visual Analytics Laboratory

The IBI Idea Factory is the first visual analytics facility of its kind at the Perelman School of Medicine. Designed to facilitate collaboration and promote new ways of communicating and presenting scientific innovation, the Idea Factory makes sophisticated data visualization and artificial intelligence analytics easy for users across the entire Penn community.

Book the Idea Factory here.

Display capabilities

CineMassive 16’ x 6’9” display wall consisting of 12 55” high-resolution HD monitors (24.9 megapixel resolution).
CineMassive touch control access point allows users to easily display multiple (plugged-in) devices to the display wall.
Seven HDMI input stations located throughout the room.
Capable of displaying many images instantly on the display wall with available web applications.
Planar 98” 3D-capable 4K touch display monitor with 8.3 megapixel resolution.
Planar TouchMark premier annotation and whiteboarding software.

Computing capabilities

Our NoSQL graph database (BlackFynn) server is used to store, map and query relations between stored data:
Dell R830, 20 Xeon cores, 1.5TB RAM, 25.6TB SSD disk space.

High performance computing cluster for data visualization and AI analytics:
Dell FX2 with 8 x FC430 blades systems comprising 224 Xeon cores, 2TB RAM, 8TB SSD disk space, and 64TB external storage.

Other features

Comfortable seating for 14 with additional standing space.
Virtual reality station with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.
Audio conference capabilities.
6’ x 4’ whiteboard.

Who can use the Idea Factory?

IBI prioritizes access with the Penn community. Researchers are defined as staff, post-docs, and students:

1. Idea Factory software development team
2. IBI faculty and researchers
3. Perelman School of Medicine and UPHS faculty and researchers
4. Penn faculty and researchers not in the above groups

How can I make a reservation?

View allocated time slots for each priority group and reserve online. Unreserved time may be released to other groups 24 hours in advance. To request permission, contact Paul Kopec.

What equipment is available?

Two ways to use the display walls:

1. Via Alpha server – connect multiple devices and view simultaneously using touch control.
2. Via Bravo server – a large Windows desktop. Use Web software like Image Explorer or Grid Manager.

Available adapters and equipment:

• VGA to HDMI
• Apple Lightning to HDMI
• Thunderbolt to HDMI
• USB Type-C to HDMI
• Micro USB to HDMI MHL
• Thunderbolt to Ethernet
• USB Type-C to Ethernet
• USB 3.0 and Ethernet hub
• Power strips on table and floor

Can I make a conference call?

Yes, dial 215-898‐6663. Ceiling microphones and speakers are used. Dial-out is allowed for local/toll-free calls.

Ideal file types and resolutions

Display wall resolution: 7680 x 3240. Use high-resolution images:

• Photoshop: 300 ppi or greater
• R: PNG at 600 dpi
• PDFs display well; some may not resize properly

Food and drink policy

Only bottled or covered water is allowed.

Additional information

Full policies and info are available. The Idea Factory is in room C212, 2nd Floor, Richards Building, 3700 Hamilton Walk. Hours: 10:00am–4:00pm.

For questions or suggestions:

Paul Wang, Technical Director: (215) 573-3117, zhipwang@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Miguel Hernandez, Assistant Technical Director: herv@upenn.edu

If you’ve visited before, please take our survey.

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